Device for engaging, holding and releasing objects



J. L. BICKS 3,195,380

DEVICE FOR ENGAGING, HOLDING AND RELEASING OBJECTS July 20, 1965 FiledSept. 20, 1963 1 N V'ENTOR. Jam 1 fl/c/cs BY A rraz/vz Y5 United StatesPatent 3,195,380 DEVICE FUR ENGAGING, HOLDING AND RELEASING GBJECTS.Iean Leonard Ricks, R0. Box 3, Severna Park, Md. Filed Sept. 20, 1963,Ser. No. 310,369 1 Claim. (ill. 81-3.8)

This invention relates in general to a device for inserting, holding orremoving objects, and more particularly, cartridge type fuses that areinserted into electrical circuits and switch gear boxes as ferrule orknife blade type fuses and the like.

Electricians, service men, craftsmen, model makers, mechanics, and evensurgeons, often find it necessary to have and employ a small tool-likedevice to get into cramped inaccessible spaces to remove, insert or holdsmall objects of various shapes which are not capable of being held byconventional tools such as a pair of pliers, operators hands and thelike.

The instant invention solves the above problems by being adapted to beselectively used for many types of objects as desired.

A primary object of the invention is to provide a dielectric tool thatis simple in operation, economical to manufacture, and adapted forinserting, extracting and holding various types of electrical fuses fromelectrical receptacles, fuse boxes and the like which have a minimumclearance therein.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dielectric tool that maybe used with full safety precaution and as a guide against the side ofthe fuse.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device for engaging,holding and releasing objects of various sizes and shapes.

A still further object of the invention is to provide a dielectricdevice for handling various types of fuses with safety while in contactwith any part of an energized electrical circuit.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dielectric tool adaptedto completely grip and retain a fuse without operator assistanceallowing greater facility of placement or removal of a fuse of the knifeblade type.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dielectric device forholding hot electric fuses after their removal from a fuse box toprevent heat burns to an electrician or service man.

Other objects and many of the attendant advantages of the instantinvention will be readily appreciated as the same becomes betterunderstood by reference to the following detailed description whenconsidered in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which likereference numerals designate like parts throughout the figures thereofand wherein: 1

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational View of the device of the instantinvention carrying a fuse shown in dotted lines;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevational view of the instant device immediatelybefore engaging a fuse;

FIGURE 3 is a view similar to FIGURE 2 showing the device of the instantinvention engaged with a fuse, the latter element being shown incross-section;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary view, partly in section and partly inelevation, showing the device of the instant invention after it hasremoved the fuse;

FIGURE 5 is a transverse cross-sectional view taken substantially onlines 5-5 of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 6 is a top plan view of the device of the instant invention;

FIGURE 7 is a view similar to FIGURE 6 but showing the device carrying afuse of the knife blade type in dotted lines; and

"ice

FIGURE 8 is a view of the wedge detent means serving to lock the fingerin position relative to the tool head.

The new device of the instant invention comprises, in general, a toolhandle 11), tubular member or neck of tool 11, hollow tool body 12, heador jaw means 13, finger member 14, cooperating with head means 13 andWedge detent means 15. Hollow tubular member 12 terminates in a wntrallyapertured jaw means 13 having an arcuate seat 13a for receiving andgripping objects. Tubular member 11 terminates at its outer end in ahandle 10 and terminates at its inner end in an internally threadedportion, as shown in FIGURE 4. Member 14 isthreaded at one end andterminates at the other end in a radial finger portion having areceiving seat thereon to cooperate with seat 13a in jaw 13. Thethreaded end of member 14 is adjustably and threadably received by theinternally threaded portion of tubular member 11 so that spring 20 isbiased between washer 21 and the inner end of jaw means 13. law 13reciprocably and rotatably receives member 14 in its central aperture.Tubular member 11 carries detent means 15 of collet-like design havinglongitudinally and circumferentially spaced tapered locking members 19thereon to mate with the internal surface of member 21 and externalsurface of member 11. Jaw seat means 13a and the finger portion ofmember 14 grips fuses 16 and 19a. Fuse 16 is carried by clip means 17from support means 18. Detent 15 is slidable and rotatably carried bymember 11. Tubular member 11 is reciprocably and rotatably mounted inouter tubular member 12.

FIGURES 2, 3, 4 and 1 illustrate various ways the tool may be used inoperation of the new device of the instant invention. In FIGURE 2 theoperator has depressed handle 10 against spring bias means 21) todisplace finger member 14 from head member 13 and has rotated fingermember 14 substantially degrees to the engaging jaw portion 13:: of headmeans 13 preparatory to placing jaw portion 13a to engage the topportion of fuse 16 held by fuse holder 17 of a portion of receptacle 18.In this position detent means 15 is locked in position by its wedgemeans 19 of FIGURE 8 being inserted or wedged between members 11 and 12so as to position finger 14 out of line with jaw 13a in order thatfinger 14 may be used as a hook means to extract objects from confinedplaces. In FIGURE 3 the jaw portion 13a and finger means 14 are inposition for engaging fuse means 16 for removal from its holder 17, andFIGURE 4 illustrates the coaction of parts, such as, finger means 14 andjaw portion 13a with fuse means 16 and a part sectional View of howfinger member 14 is threadably secured to neck member 11 being springbiased by spring means 20 and washer means 21. Finger 14 may berotatably positioned against spring means 21) and locked in position asdesired by rotatable detent means 15 having wedged prongs 19 whichfrictionally wedge between the end of body member 12 and neck means 11as the operator forces tapered prongs 19 longitudinally therein with auniform wedging action resulting from rotary turning of detent 15.Handle means 141 is used to rotate finger means 14. FIGURE 1 shows therelative positions of handle means 10, neck means 11, body means 12, jawmeans 13a of head means 13 and finger means 14 when engaging a fusemeans 16 shown in broken lines.

FIGURES 5, 6 and 7 show various views of body means 12, jaw portion 13aof head means 13 in relation to finger means 14. FIGURE 8 shows detentmeans 15 having a plurality of extending wedge projections 19 suitablefor being wedged between the internal end surface of hollow body member12 and outer surface of neck means 11. FIGURE 7 shows the relativepositions of body member 12, jaw portion and finger means 14 inengagement encased 7 with the intermediate portion of a knife type offuse 19a indicated in broken lines.

In use, the inventive tool of the instant invention may be used merelyas a hook means, as shown in FIGURE 2,

for extracting objects from confined places, by rotating finger 14 at 90degrees or 180 degrees with respect to jaw 13a, and locking finger 14against compression spring 2%) in the open position by tapered wedgingdetent means enacting between members 11 and 12, by longitudinallyforcing and rotatably turning of detent 15 for taper locking or wedgingaction betweenmembers ll and 12., as understood by those skilled in theart. By rotating and positioning finger 14 with respect to jaw 13a, asabove, permits greater clearance of operation of finger M as a hookextracting means of objects from confined places.

The instant inventive tool may be used by an operator as shown inFIGURES l, 3 and 4, as a positively gripping tool by the operatorgripping member 12 and handle it) to depress spring to sufficientlyseparate finger 14 from jaw 13a to receive a fuse or other object, afterwhich handle it is released withrespect to member 12 by the operator toallow spring 2% to permit both finger l4 andjaw 13:: to cooperativelygrip fuse in, after which detent 15 is pushed by the operatorlongitudinally toward jaw 13a and rotatably turned by the operator toobtain a more uniform wedging and positive action of tapered members 19between members 11 and 12. Detent 1:; by the above action insures a morepositive or vise-like gripping action or fuse 16 between finger l4 andjaw means 13a than would be obtained by the mere coaction of spring 29between jaw 13a and finger 14. Of course, if desired, where the objectto be removed requires only a slight pull, the detent 15 need not beused; but where fuses are corroded to their holders and the holders arelocated in various positions with respect to the operator and areditlicult to be removed therefrom, then detent 15 is very helpful tocoast with spring'Ztl to fixedly hold jaw 13a and finger 14 in tight andfixed relationship to securely grip fuse 16 to insure removal of a fusefrom holder 17, which, may be mounted in a horizontal, vertical or otherposition in an accessible place requiring a pull against fuse to, whichis substantially parallel with the finger andgripping jaw seat means13a. By use of detent 15 the new tool may be used as a work holder toreplace a fuse element in fuse 16. Also where the tool is made small forsurgical applications for compressing blood vessels, then detent means15' may be used to fixedly lock finger i4 and jaw seat 13a around ablood vessel during surgery to insure positive stoppage of blood flow orbleeding when the instant inventive tool isused as a hemostat, asunderstood by those skilled in the surgical art.

The instant new device may be made of various materials as desired, alsothe shape and size of jaw portion 13a and finger means 14 may bemodified as desired without departing from the scope and intent of thisinvention. Although the device has been shown in its preferred form asutilized as a fuse'puller, it will be understood that by varying thesize and shape of same it may readily be adapted for use inengaging,holding and releasing other objects. For example, by providing anelongated thin device, the same could be utilized in surgery to reachinto an opened body cavity and grasp an object such as a blood vessel totemporarily move the same out of the way of the surgeon during asensitive operating procedure.

From the foregoing it will now be seen that there is herein provided animproved engagingzholding and releasing device which aceomplishes allthe objects of this invention, and others, including many advantages ofgreat practical utility and commercial importance.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosurerelatesto only a preferred embodiment of the invention and that it isintended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of theinvention herein chosen for the purposes of the, disclosure, which donot constitute departures from the spirit and scopeof the invention setforth in the appended claim.

I claim:

A multipurpose instrument for gripping, clamping, holding, inserting andpulling objects comprising an outer tubular member, terminating at one.end in a jaw means having an arcuate seat therein adapted to receive anobjcct, an inner tubular member, adapted to be rotatably andreciprocably received in said outer tubular member, and terminating atone end in an outer handle and terminating at the other end in aninternally threaded portion, a rod member threaded at one end andadapted to be threadably received by the internally threadedend of saidinner tubular member, and terminating at the other end in a radiallyextending finger portion having a receiving seat thereon to cooperatewith the seat on said jaw means to grip an object, a compression springwithin the outer tubular member between the end'having a jaw meansthereon and the threaded end of the inner tubular member to bias saidfinger portion to coact with said jaw means to hold an object, and acollet-like locking means having a plurality of longitudinally andcircumferentially spaced tapered fingers thereon and a central aperturetherein adapted to be rotatably and slidably received on said innertubular member, said longitudinally tapered fingers adapted to wedginglyengage theinner Wall of the outer tubular member to selectively locksaid tubular. members against either axial or rotational movement.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 121,955 12/71Moore et al 294l9 X 389,195 9/38 Charpentier 294103 1,382,666 6/21Norton 28752.07 2,454,878 11/48 Marler 8l3.8 3,072,428 1/63 Johnson29419 X WILLIAM FELDMAN, Primary Examiner. MICHAEL BALAS, Examiner.

